FD Loop provided by Robert L. Roberts of JSC in April 1999Audio loops digitised by Andrew Hunt, CSIRO Parkes Observatory, November 2007

This audio
was received in April 1999, during the course of my research into the
CSIRO Parkes Observatory's support of the Apollo 11 mission. In April
1999, I contacted the Johnson Space Centre (JSC) in Houston requesting
copies of the Flight Director's and Network Officer's audio loops.
Robert Roberts of JSC, informed me that they did not have the Network
Officer's loop but only the Air-Ground audio. I requested it be
sent to me along with anything else they could find. A short time later,
I received the A/G and FD loops of the start of the EVA.

This audio
loop lasts a total of 46 minutes and covers the period from Neil
Armstrong's descent of the LM ladder to when he deploys the TV camera a
short distance from the LM. It
begins when Neil is on the porch of the LM at the top of the ladder -
four minutes before he swings open the MESA to reveal the
TV camera. It ends when Neil has completed the deployment of the TV
camera. This is the period from Ground Elapsed Time (GET) 109:16:44 to 110:02:44.

The Flight Director for the EVA was green team leader, Clifford E. Charlesworth.

[
This is referring to the imminent loss of signal of the orbiting CSM
"Columbia", with Michael Collins on board. It will shortly slip behind
the Moon and out of radio contact with Earth and the LM "Eagle". The
Flight Director during the EVA was Clifford E. Charlesworth.]

00:56
( 109:40:00 )

Flight: EMU, Flight.EMU: Go ahead Flight.Flight: What is the reason for the differences in the LCG or inlet temperatures between the two?EMU:
Well, right now the LMPís in the max diverter valve position. Thatís
why it took so long to get his sublimator going. Commander went to ...
after the warning tone went off, (he) went up to intermediate. And itís a
lower heat load to the sublimator.Flight: OK.

In Summary: Houston gets a modest amount of telemetry from
the PLSS, including electrocardiogram readouts, suit pressure, carbon
dioxide partial pressure, battery voltage and current, oxygen bottle
pressure, temperatures at the inlet to the Liquid Cooled Garment (LCG)
and the outlet to the PLSS sublimator, and a temperature difference
between the LCG inlet and outlet. Houston does not have a direct
indication of the status of the vent window - which shows a "P" warning
when the oxygen flow is below about 5 cubic feet per minute.

The PLSS pump circulates water through a network of thin
tubes woven into the Liquid Cooled Garment or LCG. This is a closed-loop
water supply which carries excess body heat to the sublimator where the
heat is transferred to a supply of feedwater which is subsequently
evaporated to provide overall cooling.

The sublimator consists of a sandwich of honeycomb plates on
which, when exposed to vacuum, the feedwater turns to ice and it is the
sublimation of the ice layer that provides cooling. ]

02:45
( 109:19:29 )

Flight: LOS call
Columbia
,
Capcom. All go.

[
The FD is reminding the Capcom, Bruce McCandless, to call the LOS of
the CSM "Columbia". This is to alert the crew and the controllers
of the imminent loss of the CSM signal. ]

04:23
( 109:21:07 )

Capcom: LOS ColumbiaFlight: Rog

[ The CSM "Columbia" slipped behind the Moon and out of radio contact. ]

[
This exchange was to verify that Buzz Aldrin had turned the
TV camera on in preparation for Armstrong's descent of the
LM ladder. This followed Armstrong's opening of the MESA. ]

05:46
( 109:22:30 )

Flight: FAO

10:36
( 109:27:20 )

Capcom: Flight, Capcom

10:41
( 109:27:25 )

Capcom: Flight, CapcomFlight: GoCapcom: Ah
yeh, we show him getting the camera, ah, we havenít heard anything
about the contingency sample. Suggest we standby for a minute or so
here.

10:54
( 109:27:38 )

Flight: FAO, FlightFAO: Go FlightFlight: FAA, ah, FAO, EVA, Flight

11:03
( 109:27:47 )

FAO: Go aheadFlight: Can we wait a minute or two ... he's inverted these or should we remind him now?FAO: It wonít hurt anything except the science priority.

11:17
( 109:28:01 )

FAO: I wouldnít try and change it now FlightFlight: OK.

[
Armstrong appears to have inverted the checklist operations here. He
should have first collected the contingency sample before getting the
Hasselblad camera down from the LM. Instead, he appears to be bringing
the camera down first. Neil should have collected a sample of lunar
soil, shortly after stepping onto the lunar surface, and placed it in
his leg pocket in case there was an emergency departure. In this way,
geologists would be guaranteed at least a small sample of lunar soil.
The controllers are debating whether to wait for Neil to finish his
current task or to remind him immediately of the contingency sample.
Since everything is going well, they wait. ]

12:48
( 109:29:32 )

Flight: Capcom, FlightCapcom: Go ahead, FlightFlight: As
a reminder ... ah, checking with EVA and FAO, here, perhaps is ...
Remind him as soon as he tethers the camera, contingency sample.Capcom: Wilco.

[
The FD is concerned that Armstrong had still not collected the
contingency sample. Neil eventually collected the sample about three
minutes after this exchange. ]

[
The Network Officer, Ernie Randall, is reporting that the TV pictures
are now coming through the Parkes Radio Telescope in New South Wales,
Australia. Prior to this switch, Houston was alternating between the TV
signals being received through Goldstone and Honeysuckle Creek,
searching for the best quality TV. The improved TV quality through
Parkes prompted the FD to note that it was no longer being sourced from
either station. The FD then insists Capcom remind Neil to collect the
contingency sample. He's concerned that Neil hasn't collected the sample
yet.]

15:06
( 109:31:50 )

Flight: Network, FlightNetwork: Go aheadFlight: We have uplink when weíre on Parkes donít we?Network: NegativeFlight: Through ah .... Network: We have uplink but not through Parkes. Youíre through Goldstone uplink, Flight.Flight: Capcom, FlightCapcom: Go ahead FlightFlight: Iím not sure he copied that.

[
In this exchange, the FD is enquiring as to the source of the radio
uplink. He at first seems confused that it is through Parkes. However,
Parkes does not have transmit capability (it's a radio telescope). The
Network Officer corrects him, and it's immediately clear that the FD was
aware of his mistake. To the author it seems that what the FD meant to
ask was if the uplink was through Goldstone.

The FD asks Capcom to remind Neil to get the contingency sample since Neil may not have copied the previous reminder.]

15:41
( 109:32:25 )

Flight: Fair enough.

[
Following the previous exchange, Capcom asks Neil if he copied the
request to collect the contingency sample. Neil replies that he will do
that just as soon as he finishes taking the panorama pictures he's
currently working on. The FD thinks that's fair enough. ]

ah ra (??unintelligible)

16:07
( 109:32:51 )

[
Could this have been a fragment from somewhere on the Network? Someone
may have started to say , "Ah, Roger" then realised they were on the FD
loop and quickly cut it off. ]

16:37
( 109:33:21 )

Calling(??), Flight

[ Could this have been another fragment? Say, the tale end of "Were you calling, Flight?" ]

[
From the GET, this exchange may be refering to Buzz Aldrin's vital
signs as he begins his egress and descent of the LM ladder. ]

26:35
( 109:43:19 )

EMU: Flight, EMUFlight: GoEMU: Both PLSSís are running on nominal on consumables.Flight: Roger.

[
All seems to be well with the consumables (air, water, power) in the
astronauts' backpacks - the Portable Life Support Systems, PLSS. ]

28:26
( 109:45:10 )

EVA: Flight, EVAFlight: GoEVA: Ah, the commander ought to be getting the TV out while Aldrin is doing this activity.

[
Buzz is familiarising himself with the lunar environment as per the
checklist. Eric Jones comment: The checklist confirms that Neil is
supposed to be deploying the TV while Buzz does the Fam. ]

28:35
( 109:45:19 )

Flight: Roger. I donít see him. Has he moved that way?EVA: I think heís kind of watching the LMP.

28:47
( 109:45:31 )

EVA: Which may be a good thing.

[
Eric Jones comment: Neil is watching Buzz testing the mobility of his
suit. Controller, EVA, thinks it's a good idea for Neil to be watching
Buzz, both for safety purposes, and to let him see what Buzz's movements
look like. Buzz had the advantage of watching Neil out the LM window
prior to his own egress. ]

Flight: Capcom, FlightCapcom: Go ahead Flight. Heís taking the cover off the
MESA
now for the TV camera.Flight: OK.

[ Armstrong is about to change the lens on the TV camera which is still stowed in the MESA. ]

31:29
( 109:48:13 )

Capcom: And Network just inverted the picture too ... in preparation for removing it.

[
While the TV camera is stowed in the MESA it is upside-down and so are
the images being transmitted to Earth. The images were inverted on Earth
to show the pictures the right-way-up. When Armstrong removes the
TV camera to deploy it on the lunar surface a short distance from
the LM, it will be the right-way-up again, so the TV operators on
Earth will re-invert the images to show the pictures the right-way-up.
The Network Officer reported that the operator had inverted the picture
in preparation for this. However, this initial inversion was prematurely
performed by Dick Holl, the scan-converter operator in Paddington,
Sydney. Dick thought the camera was being removed, when in fact it was
just a lens change. He quickly re-inverted the picture to show the scene
the right-way-up again. ]

31:43
( 109:48:27 )

Flight: EMU, Flight

31:54
( 109:48:38 )

EMU: Flight, EMUFlight: How you doing?EMU: Looks good. Weíre right on the money on the consumables and the cooling looks proper.Flight: Buzz still in max flow?EMU: Heís
still in max. He must have really put in the heat during the
preparation. I expect there to be a change any minute though.

[
The water, air and power supplies are looking good for the astronuats'
backpacks. Buzz Aldrin still has the inverter valve on his PLSS set to
maximum to cool his suit. Neil's was set to intermediate. ]

33:31
( 109:50:15 )

Experiments: Flight, Experminents. Could we get him to repeat that?Flight: Say again?Experiments: Could we get him to repeat that on his comment on the rock?Flight: Didnít you get it copied?Experiments: Negative.Capcom: This
is Capcom. It sounded me like he said he thought it was biotite, but
heíd leave it for people to figure out (garbled).Flight or Experiments: Roger.

[
Eric Jones comment: Buzz's mention of biotite caused quite a stir in
the Science Backroom. It is a mineral within the mica group, all of
which contain OH ions in their structure and necessarily form in the
presence of water. If Buzz had really seen biotite, it would have been a
major discovery and would have changed ideas about how the lunar mare
formed. After the mission, Buzz was criticised for using the word
"biotite", but geologist/moonwalker, Jack Schmitt, points out that it
gave a good idea of the impression one gets from various sparkling
minerals in the lunar rocks. ]

34:10
( 109:50:54 )

Capcom: roh...

[
Capcom begins to say "roger", but stops short when he realises he's
still on the FD loop, and switches to the AG loop. A moment later, on
the AG audio, Capcom is heard to say "Roger" in reply to the crew. ]

34:15
( 109:50:59 )

Capcom: Ahh
Flight, Capcom. Itís been about 55 minutes since they started depress.
Do you think we ought to give them a LM status report?Flight: Ahh. Yeh, the next time you talk to him. Telcom, Flight.Telcom: Go FlightFlight: All looking good?Telcom: Thatís affirmative.Flight: OK. Control, how about you?Control: Go Flight (softly)Flight: Yeh, next time you talk to him Capcom.Capcom: Roger.

[
The Capcom feels the crew should be informed about how well the LM
systems are doing. After the FD polls the controllers, Capcom informs
the crew at the next opportunity that the LM systems are all "go". ]

35:18
( 109:52:02 )

Capcom: There goes the plaque Flight.

[ The astronauts are unveiling the plaque. ]

39:14
( 109:55:58 )

Flight: FAOFAO: Go FlightFlight: Did you copy?FAO: Roger. He wants assistance on the location. He got the sim.

[
Armstrong has removed the TV camera from the MESA and is moving it a
short distance away from the LM. Neil is wanting to know where the best
place is to deploy it. ]

39:36
( 109:56:20 )

EVA: Flight, EVAFlight: GoEVA: He ought to have it out 60 to 70 feet approximately 30 degrees from the minus Y toward the front of the spacecraft. Flight: minus Y or plus?EVA: Sorry, plus YCapcom: I think what he was talking about was that after he gets the panorama, he wants aiming information.Flight: Probably.

[
Armstrong is pointing the TV camera around the scene of the landing
site, checking the focus etc. The controllers are discussing the best
location to place the TV camera. The LM landed facing West. The
+Y strut is the North strut and -Y is South. The controllers
can see the TV pictures but Armstrong cannot. Armstrong needs
instructions on where to point the camera. ]

41:20
( 109:58:04 )

Capcom: OK. I think the field-of-view is OK. We got to aim it to the right ...Flight: Yeah.Capcom: Donít you?Flight: Yes.

[ Capcom, Bruce McCandless, thinks the camera should point a little more to the right. The FD agrees. ]

41:45
( 109:58:29 )

Flight: A little too much

[
Neil pointed the camera a little too far to the right. In the AG loop,
Capcom is heard to ask Neil to point it back to the left a little more. ]

41:52
( 109:58:36 )

Capcom: Look (????)

[ It sounds like Capcom, Bruce McCandless, started to say something and thought better of it. ]

42:11
( 109:58:55 )

Capcom: It looks good to me Flight. I donít know ... what does everybody else think ... Flight: It looks good to me. Heís out as far as he can get. I think thatís OK Capcom.

[
Because Armstrong cannot see the TV pictures, he's relying on the
controllers to determine if the aiming of the camera is OK and if the
scene fills the camera's field-of-view satisfactorily. The camera is out
as far as the cables allow. The controllers are discussing the camera
placement and scene. ]

42:47
( 109:59:31 )

Telcom: Flight, TelcomFlight: GoTelcom: Network is standing by for slow-scan if they choose to do it.Flight: OK.

[
The Lunar TV Camera had two modes of operation. The normal mode
displayed a 10 frames-per-second B/W TV picture with a resolution of 320
lines per frame. The camera was also capable of operating in a high
resolution mode which was 5/8 frame-per-second with 1280 lines per
frame. This mode was designed to transmit high resolution images in case
the astronauts were not able to return to Earth with photographs. The
camera had a switch located on the top surface that would allow the
astronauts to operate it in either mode.

Neil begins to take a few panoramas with the TV camera. The
Network Officer reported that he was ready to switch to this high
resolution mode if they chose to do it. This would have been the time to
take the high resolution pictures, but it was not used. ]

43:01
( 109:59:45 )

Flight: Beautiful!

[ It says it all. The FD is impressed with the panoramas Neil is taking. ]